Heat-exchange ventilation device

Abstract

A heat-exchange ventilation device (1) comprises a casing (5) that has a maintenance opening (5a), a first air passage, and a second air passage formed therein and has a maintenance cover (6) installed at the maintenance opening (5a), a first blower (11) that is provided on the first air passage, a second blower (12) that is provided on the second air passage, a heat exchanger (2) that exchanges heat between air that passes along the first air passage and air that passes along the second air passage, a control unit (9) that controls the first blower (11) and the second blower (12), and a switching switch (9a) that switches between a first mode in which the control unit (9) is made to recognize the first blower (11) as a supply blower and the second blower (12) as a discharge blower and a second mode in which the control unit (9) is made to recognize the first blower (11) as a discharge blower and the second blower (12) as a supply blower.

Description

Heat exchange ventilation system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat exchange ventilation device that exchanges heat between an intake airflow and an exhaust airflow.

[0002] A heat exchange type ventilation system uses a heat exchange element inside to exchange all heat between the exhaust air from inside the room and the intake air from outside, changing the temperature and humidity of the fresh outside air that is supplied to a temperature and humidity close to that of the room, thereby reducing the air conditioning load inside the room.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchange ventilation device that includes a casing in which an intake air duct and an exhaust air duct are formed, an intake air blower installed in the intake air duct, an exhaust air blower installed in the exhaust air duct, a heat exchanger installed across the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct, and a control unit that controls the intake air blower and the exhaust air blower.

[0004] International Publication No. 2021 / 240814

[0005] In a heat exchanger / ventilator, components installed inside the casing, including the heat exchanger and the air filter installed on the air inlet surface of the heat exchanger, require maintenance, and in the event of a malfunction, the components installed inside the casing need to be replaced. For this reason, an opening is provided on the side of the casing of the heat exchanger / ventilator to allow for maintenance and replacement of the components installed inside. The opening on the side of the casing is normally covered by a maintenance cover, and the maintenance cover must be removed for maintenance and replacement of the components installed inside the casing. For this reason, a maintenance space must be provided on the outside of the casing of the heat exchanger / ventilator directly facing the maintenance cover, large enough to allow the maintenance cover to be opened and for a person to perform the work.

[0006] Therefore, the heat exchange ventilation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can only be installed in the correct position with the maintenance cover facing directly in the maintenance space reserved in advance. Therefore, even if it is desired to interchange the positions of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct in terms of the piping layout of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct, it is not possible to interchange the positions of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct by simply turning the device upside down.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a heat exchange ventilation device that can swap the position of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct without changing the installation posture.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the heat exchange ventilation device of the present disclosure comprises a casing having a first air outlet, a first air inlet, a second air outlet, and a second air inlet, a maintenance opening, a first air duct connecting the first air inlet and the first air outlet, and a second air duct connecting the second air inlet and the second air outlet, with a maintenance cover installed on the maintenance opening, a first blower provided in the first air duct to draw in air through the first air inlet and generate an airflow to blow out from the first air outlet, and a second blower provided in the second air duct to draw in air through the second air inlet and generate an airflow to blow out from the second air outlet. The heat exchange ventilation device includes a heat exchanger arranged across a portion of a first air duct and a portion of a second air duct, and exchanging heat between air passing through the first air duct and air passing through the second air duct; a control unit that controls the first blower and the second blower; and a changeover switch that switches between a first mode in which the control unit recognizes the first blower as an intake blower and the second blower as an exhaust blower, and a second mode in which the control unit recognizes the first blower as an exhaust blower and the second blower as an intake blower.

[0009] The heat exchange ventilator according to the present disclosure has an advantage in that the position of the supply air duct and the position of the exhaust air duct can be interchanged without changing the installation posture.

[0010] Schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator according to embodiment 1 in a normal state. Schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator according to embodiment 1 in an inverted state. Schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator according to a modified embodiment of embodiment 1 in a normal state. Schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator according to a modified embodiment of embodiment 1 in an inverted state. A diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a control unit provided in the heat exchange ventilator according to embodiment 1.

[0011] Hereinafter, a heat exchange ventilation device according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchange ventilator according to embodiment 1. The heat exchange ventilator 1 according to embodiment 1 includes a casing 5 having a first air inlet 13, a second air inlet 16, a first air outlet 15, and a second air outlet 14 formed therein. The casing 5 is formed with a first air passage 27 connecting the first air inlet 13 and the first air outlet 15, and a second air passage 26 connecting the second air inlet 16 and the second air outlet 14. The first air passage 27 and the second air passage 26 are independent of each other. The heat exchange ventilator 1 includes a first fan 11 installed in the first air passage 27 and a second fan 12 installed in the second air passage 26. The first fan 11 draws air through the first air inlet 13 and generates an airflow that is blown out from the first air outlet 15. The second blower 12 draws in air from the second air inlet 16 and generates an airflow that is blown out from the second air outlet 14. The heat exchange ventilator 1 includes a heat exchanger 2 arranged across a part of the first air duct 27 and a part of the second air duct 26. The heat exchanger 2 exchanges heat between the air passing through the first air duct 27 and the air passing through the second air duct 26.

[0013] The casing 5 has an opening 5a on its side, and a maintenance cover 6 for opening and closing the opening 5a is provided.

[0014] The second air passage 26 is provided with a bypass air passage 28 for sending the air sucked from the second intake port 16 to the second outlet port 14 without passing through the heat exchanger 2, and an air passage switching damper 17 for switching whether the air sucked from the second intake port 16 is sent to the heat exchanger 2 or to the bypass air passage 28.

[0015] 2 is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator according to embodiment 1 in a normal state. The heat exchange ventilator 1 includes a first temperature sensor 20, which is a first air quality sensor that measures the air quality of air passing through a first air duct 27, and a second temperature sensor 19, which is a second air quality sensor that measures the air quality of air passing through a second air duct 26. The heat exchange ventilator 1 also includes the first temperature sensor 20 that measures the temperature of air passing through the first air duct 27, and the second temperature sensor 19 that measures the temperature of air passing through the second air duct 26. The first temperature sensor 20 is installed in a portion of the first air duct 27 close to the first air inlet 13. The second temperature sensor 19 is installed in a portion of the second air duct 26 close to the second air inlet 16.

[0016] Here, an example is taken in which the first and second air quality sensors are a first temperature sensor 20 and a second temperature sensor 19 that measure temperature, but the first and second air quality sensors may be sensors that sense at least one of temperature, humidity, gas concentration, odor, and dust.

[0017] The heat exchange ventilation device 1 includes a control unit 9 that controls the on / off and airflow rate of the first fan 11 and the second fan 12. The control unit 9 is installed on the outer surface of the casing 5. The control unit 9 controls the first fan 11 and the second fan 12 based on the temperatures measured by the first temperature sensor 20 and the second temperature sensor 19.

[0018] The control unit 9 controls the on / off and airflow rates of the first and second fans 11 and 12 based on the temperatures measured by the first temperature sensor 20 and the second temperature sensor 19. In addition, the control unit 9 controls the airflow rates of the first and second fans 11 and 12 in accordance with instructions from a remote controller 71 or the like. The instructions from the remote controller 71 include instructions on whether the airflow rate of the first fan 11 is equal to the airflow rate of the second fan 12, whether the airflow rate of the first fan 11 is greater than the airflow rate of the second fan 12, or whether the airflow rate of the first fan 11 is less than the airflow rate of the second fan 12, as well as instructions on the airflow rate levels of the first fan 11 and the second fan 12. In this way, the first fan 11 and the second fan 12 are controlled independently of each other. The heat exchange ventilator 1 may be configured without the remote controller 71 .

[0019] For example, if the control unit 9 recognizes the first blower 11 as an intake blower and the second blower 12 as an exhaust blower, during anti-freeze operation, if the outdoor temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 20 is between -5°C and 0°C, the first blower 11 performs intermittent operation by running for 30 minutes and then stopping for 10 minutes. During this period, the second blower 12 operates at the maximum airflow rate regardless of the set airflow rate only while the first blower 11 is stopped. Furthermore, if the outdoor temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 20 is below -5°C, the first blower 11 performs sensing operation by running for 5 minutes and then stopping for 55 minutes. During this period, the second blower 12 operates at the maximum airflow rate regardless of the set airflow rate while the outdoor temperature is below -5°C.

[0020] The control unit 9 is provided with a selector switch 9a that can be operated externally. The selector switch 9a is mounted on a circuit board 9b of the control unit 9. The selector switch 9a can switch the heat exchange ventilator 1 between a first mode, which is a "normal" state, and a second mode, which is a "reverse" state. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator according to embodiment 1 in a normal state. The normal state is the state used during normal operation and is set by default. In the normal state, the control unit 9 recognizes the first blower 11 as an "intake blower," the second blower 12 as an "exhaust blower," the first temperature sensor 20 as an "intake-side temperature sensor," and the second temperature sensor 19 as an "exhaust-side temperature sensor." The intake-side temperature sensor is a sensor that measures the outside air temperature, and the exhaust-side temperature sensor is a sensor that measures the indoor air temperature.

[0021] Under normal conditions, the first air inlet 13 is an "air supply inlet" that draws in outside air 23 from outside the room, and the first air outlet 15 is an "air supply outlet" that blows out supply air 24 into the room. The second air inlet 16 is an "exhaust air inlet" that draws in return air 21 from inside the room, and the second air outlet 14 is an "exhaust air outlet" that blows out exhaust air 22 to the outside of the room. The first air duct 27 is an "air supply air duct" through which the air supply flow that is drawn in from outside the room and blown into the room passes, and the second air duct 26 is an "exhaust air duct" through which the exhaust air flow that is drawn in from inside the room and blown out to the outside passes.

[0022] 3 is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange ventilator in the inverted state according to embodiment 1. In the inverted state, the control unit 9 recognizes the first fan 11 as the "exhaust fan," the second fan 12 as the "intake fan," the first temperature sensor 20 as the "exhaust-side temperature sensor," and the second temperature sensor 19 as the "intake-side temperature sensor."

[0023] In the reversed state, the first intake port 13 is an "exhaust intake port" that draws in return air 21 from inside the room, and the first outlet port 15 is an "exhaust outlet port" that blows out exhaust air 22 to the outside of the room. The second intake port 16 is an "intake air intake port" that draws in outside air 23 from outside the room, and the second outlet port 14 is an "intake air outlet port" that blows out supply air 24 to the outside of the room. The first air duct 27 is an "exhaust air duct" through which the exhaust air flow, which is the air flow that is drawn in from inside the room and blown out to the outside, passes, and the second air duct 26 is an "intake air duct" through which the supply air flow, which is drawn in from the outside of the room and blown out into the room, passes.

[0024] When installing the heat exchanger ventilator 1, if it is desired to switch the intake air duct and exhaust air duct in consideration of the installation environment, such as the installation space, surrounding obstacles on the installation, the layout of indoor and outdoor duct piping, and maintenance space, the selector switch 9a provided in the control unit 9 can be used to switch between the first mode, which is the normal state, and the second mode, which is the reversed state. By switching the intake air duct and exhaust air duct, the installer can install the heat exchanger ventilator 1 in a layout that ensures optimal duct piping or maintenance space.

[0025] Maintenance of the heat exchanger 2 inside the casing 5 and the air filter (not shown) provided on the air inlet surface of the heat exchanger 2 must be performed by opening the maintenance cover 6 and passing through the opening 5a. Replacement of components housed in the casing 5 also requires opening the maintenance cover 6 and passing through the opening 5a. Therefore, a maintenance space 25 is provided on the outside of the casing 5 directly opposite the maintenance cover 6, allowing the maintenance cover 6 to be opened and large enough for personnel to work in. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the heat exchanger ventilator 1 according to the first embodiment can reverse the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct without changing the normal position of the maintenance cover 6 facing the maintenance space 25.

[0026] Here, an example is shown in which the changeover switch 9 a is provided in the control unit 9, but this is not limiting, and for example, the changeover switch 9 a may be provided in a remote controller 71 that remotely controls the heat exchange ventilator 1. The changeover switch 9 a provided in the remote controller 71 may be a physical switch such as a toggle switch, or may be a switch that utilizes software such as a touch panel switch.

[0027] Furthermore, here, a temperature sensor has been shown as an example of a sensor whose assignment can be changed using the changeover switch 9a, but this is not limited to this, and the assignment of a sensor that senses at least one of humidity, gas, odor, and dust may also be changed using the changeover switch 9a.

[0028] In addition, although an example has been shown in which the targets of allocation change using the selector switch 9a are the fan and the temperature sensor, the present invention is not limited to this and any targets may be used as long as they operate and function independently in the first air passage 27 and the second air passage 26. For example, in a configuration in which the first temperature sensor 20 and the second temperature sensor 19 are not installed, the targets of allocation change using the selector switch 9a may be only the first fan 11 and the second fan 12.

[0029] In addition, an example has been shown in which the first intake port 13, the second outlet port 14, the first outlet port 15 and the second intake port 16 are provided in the casing 5 so that the first air passage 27 and the second air passage 26 are formed parallel to each other, but the positions of the first intake port 13, the second outlet port 14, the first outlet port 15 and the second intake port 16 are not limited to the above example.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a heat exchange ventilator according to a modification of embodiment 1 in a normal state. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a heat exchange ventilator according to a modification of embodiment 1 in an inverted state. The heat exchange ventilator according to the modification is a cross-flow type in which the first air passage 27 and the second air passage 26 intersect at the heat exchanger 2.

[0031] In the first mode, which is the normal state, the control unit 9 recognizes the first blower 11 as an "air supply blower," the second blower 12 as an "air exhaust blower," the first temperature sensor 20 as an "air supply side temperature sensor," and the second temperature sensor 19 as an "air exhaust side temperature sensor." In the normal state, the first air intake 13 is an "air supply inlet" that draws in outside air 23 from outside the room, and the first air outlet 15 is an "air supply outlet" that blows out supply air 24 into the room. In addition, the second air intake 16 is an "air exhaust inlet" that draws in return air 21 from inside the room, and the second air outlet 14 is an "air exhaust outlet" that blows out exhaust air 22 to the outside of the room. The first air passage 27 is an "air supply passage" through which the air supply flow, which is the air flow that is sucked in from outside the room and blown out into the room, passes, and the second air passage 26 is an "exhaust passage" through which the air exhaust flow, which is sucked in from inside the room and blown out to the outside, passes.

[0032] In the second mode, which is the reversed state, the control unit 9 recognizes the first fan 11 as an "exhaust fan," the second fan 12 as an "intake fan," the first temperature sensor 20 as an "exhaust-side temperature sensor," and the second temperature sensor 19 as an "intake-side temperature sensor." In the reversed state, the first air inlet 13 is an "exhaust air inlet" that draws in return air 21 from inside the room, and the first air outlet 15 is an "exhaust air outlet" that blows exhaust air 22 to the outside. In addition, the second air inlet 16 is an "intake air inlet" that draws in outside air 23 from outside the room, and the second air outlet 14 is an "intake air outlet" that blows supply air 24 into the room. The first air passage 27 is an "exhaust air passage" through which the exhaust airflow, which is the airflow that is sucked in from inside the room and blown out outside the room, passes, and the second air passage 26 is an "intake air passage" through which the intake airflow, which is sucked in from outside the room and blown out inside the room, passes.

[0033] Even in the heat exchange ventilation device 1 relating to the modified example, by switching between the first mode, which is the normal state, and the second mode, which is the reversed state, using the changeover switch 9a provided in the control unit 9, the installer can install the heat exchange ventilation device 1 in a layout that ensures optimal duct piping or maintenance space.

[0034] In the heat exchanger ventilator 1 according to the first embodiment and the heat exchanger ventilator 1 according to the modification of the first embodiment, in the normal state, the control unit 9 recognizes the first blower 11 as the "intake air blower," the second blower 12 as the "exhaust air blower," the first temperature sensor 20 as the "intake air-side temperature sensor," and the second temperature sensor 19 as the "exhaust air-side temperature sensor," and in the inverted state, the control unit 9 recognizes the first blower 11 as the "exhaust air blower," the second blower 12 as the "intake air blower," the first temperature sensor 20 as the "exhaust air-side temperature sensor," and the second temperature sensor 19 as the "intake air-side temperature sensor." Therefore, in the heat exchanger ventilator 1 according to the first embodiment and the heat exchanger ventilator 1 according to the modification of the first embodiment, the positions of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct can be interchanged without changing the normal position of the maintenance cover 6 facing the maintenance space 25. Furthermore, the heat exchange ventilation device 1 according to embodiment 1 and the heat exchange ventilation device 1 according to the modified example of embodiment 1 do not require a change in posture when swapping the positions of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct, so even if the positions of the intake air duct and the exhaust air duct are swapped, drain drainage structures such as drain pans can function normally.

[0035] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the control unit 9 included in the heat exchanger ventilator 1. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration realizing the control unit included in the heat exchanger ventilator according to embodiment 1. The control unit 9 is realized by a processing circuit including a processor 91 that executes various processes, a memory 92 that is a main memory, and a storage device 93 that stores information.

[0036] The processor 91 may be a computing device such as an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a central processing unit (CPU), or a digital signal processor (DSP). The memory 92 may be a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The storage device 93 stores programs for assigning the first and second fans 11 and 12 to supply fans and exhaust fans, and assigning the first and second temperature sensors 20 and 19 to supply-side and exhaust-side temperature sensors. The processor 91 reads the programs stored in the storage device 93 into the memory 92 and executes them. The processor 91 reads the programs stored in the storage device 93 into the memory 92 and executes them, thereby realizing the functions of the control unit 9.

[0037] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples of the content, and may be combined with other known technologies, or parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0038] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Heat exchange ventilation device, 2 Heat exchanger, 5 Casing, 5a Opening, 6 Maintenance cover, 9 Control unit, 9a Changeover switch, 9b Circuit board, 11 First blower, 12 Second blower, 13 First intake port, 14 Second outlet, 15 First outlet, 16 Second intake port, 17 Air path switching damper, 19 Second temperature sensor, 20 First temperature sensor, 21 Return air, 22 Exhaust air, 23 Outside air, 24 Supply air, 25 Maintenance space, 26 Second air path, 27 First air path, 28 Bypass air path, 71 Remote controller, 91 Processor, 92 Memory, 93 Storage device.

Claims

1. A casing having a first air outlet, a first intake port, a second air outlet, and a second intake port, a maintenance opening, a first air passage connecting the first intake port and the first air outlet, and a second air passage connecting the second intake port and the second air outlet, with a maintenance cover installed on the maintenance opening; a first blower provided in the first air passage, drawing in air from the first intake port and generating an airflow that is blown out from the first air outlet; a second blower provided in the second air passage, drawing in air from the second intake port and generating an airflow that is blown out from the second air outlet; a heat exchanger disposed across a portion of the first air passage and a portion of the second air passage, exchanging heat between air passing through the first air passage and air passing through the second air passage; and a control unit that controls the first blower and the second blower. a changeover switch for switching between a first mode in which the control unit recognizes the first blower as an intake blower and the second blower as an exhaust blower, and a second mode in which the control unit recognizes the first blower as an exhaust blower and the second blower as an intake blower.

2. A heat exchange ventilation device as described in claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a first air quality sensor provided in the first air duct and a second air quality sensor provided in the second air duct, and the control unit recognizes the first air quality sensor as an intake side air quality sensor and the second air quality sensor as an exhaust side air quality sensor in the first mode, and recognizes the first air quality sensor as an exhaust side air quality sensor and the second air quality sensor as an intake side air quality sensor in the second mode.

3. The heat exchange ventilation device according to claim 2, wherein the first air quality sensor and the second air quality sensor are sensors that detect at least one of temperature, humidity, gas, odor, and dust.

4. A heat exchange ventilation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the changeover switch is provided on a circuit board of the control unit.

5. A heat exchange ventilation device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is provided with a remote controller connected to the control unit by wire or wirelessly, and the changeover switch is provided on the remote controller.

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